I believe that since the false accusations have been spread world- wide, there must be an equally world- wide correction.
May I respectfully suggest that all of you have a responsibility in this matter. The first part of the procedure appears to be well under way, but have the results of this action been carefully considered? What will be the reaction of fair- minded church members? When church members learn that the appalling charges are without foundation in fact, how will this affect their confidence in church leadership? Will this draw them closer to the organization, or will it have the opposite effect? I was told that the first step in the planned procedure would be the launching of a smear campaign for the purpose of destroying my reputation and character, which would prepare the minds of the church members for the disfellowshiping that would follow.
Several weeks ago a “leak” was communicated to me from our world headquarters that my name was at or near the top of a “hit list” of persons who were to be disfellowshiped from the church. Shall we, therefore, accuse these persons as being “deceptive”, “dishonest”, “unscrupulous”, etc.? Yet, the word “tithe” does not appear in that story. Many persons, speaking in behalf of the SDA organization, have invoked the story of the widow and her two mites (Mark 12: 42) as evidence that all tithe should be paid through organizational channels regardless of existing conditions. I see no way that the responsibilities of Christian stewardship can be properly fulfilled without the payment of tithe.
The word “stewardship” does appear there several times. I made no claim that the word “tithe” does appear there. 7, 176- 177 on the grounds that the word “tithe” does not appear there. Pastor Devnich accuses me of distorting a passage in Testimonies, vol. I will also offer to Pastor Devnich an additional reward of $1,000 if he will produce from my writings a “gross misquotation drawn out of context” from the writings of Ellen White or any author. I firmly deny that in my writings there are “gross misquotations drawn out of context”, and I challenge Pastor Devnich and those who have reprinted his article to produce their evidence in support of this charge. To illustrate this point, I will hereby offer Pastor Devnich a reward of $1,000 if he will produce from my writings a statement that “accuses the pastors and leaders of the church with falsity and apostasy”, as he charged in the Canadian Union Messenger. These questions are lent added significance by the fact that the accusations in the Devnich article can be readily demonstrated to be without foundation. Prescott, the question also arises, “Are these former church leaders not being similarly condemned as persons of no integrity?”Īnd why do church administrators and editors rush such accusations into print without checking them for accuracy, thereby seeming to establish a new low in journalistic irresponsibility? And since my conclusions were identical with the conclusions of Willie White, A. This unprecedented procedure has been very disturbing to many church members who have not previously witnessed our church papers being used for launching personal attacks against the character and integrity of a Seventh- day Adventist minister. With minor changes, this article was reprinted in the Columbia Union Visitor, April, 1992, and described as “important counsel beneficial to members around the world”. Douglas Devnich, wrote a two- page article in the December, 1991, issue of The Canadian Union Messenger, in which he applied to me and to my article such malicious terms as “half- truths”, “distorts the writings of Ellen White”, “gross misquotations drawn out of context”, “accuses the pastors and leaders of the Church with falsity and apostasy”, “deceptive”, “dishonesty”, “willful intent to mislead”, “unscrupulous”, etc. A Union president wrote to me a letter bristling with personal abuse. The reaction to my report on the part of some church officials has been unusual, to say the least. Prescott, who had conducted similar research in the early 1900’s. My conclusions were the same as those that had been reached by Elders Willie White, A. In response to those questions, I spent much time in research in the Spirit of Prophecy and published a report of my findings on the subject in Our Firm Foundation, September, 1991. The central problem in their minds has been whether God required them to give financial support to the preaching of doctrines that they believed to be contrary to our faith Dear Brethren: For several years I have been receiving from many troubled church members questions about their Christian stewardship of tithes and offerings.
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